It's the little snippets , like the ditty posted above by Cliff.
It gave me a hearty giggle, thinking of the total incongruity of the cold, noise, darkness, vibration and fear....then this crackly lament
the black humour of the times comes across.
Likewise the "appetiser" about the bike and the daughter. - One has to understand just how valuable a bike was in those days,as a means of transport.
Few people had cars or motorcycles, fewer were in working order and even fewer had fuel.
Please ask John to let us into his memories.
my father was a WW1 merchant seaman and was blinded....the most I could ever elicit was the cause was "gunflash"
He occasionally let drop the odd gem to a much younger Aussie Merchantman friend....such as
"Ah yes, Mombasa,- you could have a girl , in the street,against a cartwheel,.....for a box of matches........and again for the box
"
but he'd never elaborate.....both of them long gone and the truth with them.